(2nd LD) Soldiers' statements point to possible unexploded wooden-box land mine in DMZ blast

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(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS details from para 8; TRIMS) By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- An undetonated wooden-box land mine was spotted at the site of last week's explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to military sources Monday, citing initial statements from soldiers involved in the blast.

The statements were obtained as the military is working to determine the exact cause of last Monday's blast that occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) inside the DMZ separating the two Koreas. Two South Korean soldiers were severely wounded, with a third sustaining minor injuries.

The incident, which involved two separate explosions, is suspected of having been triggered by North Korean land mines.

It is too early to verify the statements regarding the additional land mine, including whether it belongs to North Korean forces, as the military investigation team was unable to reach the blast site during an operation Sunday, sources familiar with the probe said.

As the on-site investigation continues, retrieving the unexploded mine will be crucial to gathering evidence and making progress in the probe.

This image, captured from survey footage and provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shows military personnel clearing a route during a joint survey with the U.N. Command inside the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 26, 2026, ahead of an on-site investigation into the suspected mine blast that occurred south of the inter-Korean border earlier in the week. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

On Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it received testimony from troops on the ground that they witnessed a land mine similar to a North Korean wooden-box one near the explosion site.

"We received testimony that (what the troops witnessed) was similar to a wooden-box land mine," Brig. Gen. Hwang Ju-bong, the JCS chief of the ground operations division, said during a regular press briefing.

A wooden-box land mine is a type of an antipersonnel mine typically used by North Korean troops. It is encased in a small wooden box that is hard to detect with a mine detector and can easily drift across the border during heavy rains.

Three wooden-box land mines planted by North Korea exploded on the South Korean side of the DMZ in August 2015, seriously injuring two South Korean soldiers.

"There were some testimonies that said the object was similar in appearance to a wooden-box mine and appeared to be made of plastic, while another person testified that it was believed to be a different type of mine," Hwang said.

"Because of this, we cannot specify the exact type and can provide further explanation only after we verify it on site," he said.

The military also determined it is unlikely that rain washed away or damaged evidence, as the area received under 5 millimeters of rain following the blast.

The South Korean military and the U.N. Command (UNC), which oversees the border area, launched the joint investigation into the DMZ explosion Sunday.

They sought to reach the blast site to collect mine debris and other evidence material, but were forced to end the operations at sunset after clearing a path close to the site.

The National Forensic Service is currently analyzing mine fragments, explosive residue collected from the soldiers' protective suits and during surgery. The JCS has not yet been notified of the forensic results.

"We have initial testimonies based on which it remains difficult to pinpoint (the exact type of) land mines," Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told a Yonhap reporter upon arriving at his office earlier in the day.

"We will explain everything to the public once we verify those details through the on-site investigation," he said.

Following a meeting with lawmakers at the National Assembly on Monday, Kang said he will take "appropriate and corresponding" measures if Pyongyang was found to be responsible for the DMZ blast.

Kang flatly denied criticism that the government is trying to downplay or cover up the incident.

"I want to reiterate that there was absolutely no intentional delay or cover-up," he said.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul listens to Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, speaking during their meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

Some military experts believe the explosion was more likely caused by North Korean mines than South Korea's standard M14 or M16 antipersonnel mines, given the severity of the injuries and suspicions that North Korean troops planted mines in the area.

If confirmed as North Korean mines, the military will need to determine whether they were washed away due to rain or intentionally planted. The latter would amount to a violation of the armistice agreement.

The blast occurred during an operation to clear a path for a joint inspection between the South's military and the UNC to verify Seoul's suspicions that Pyongyang illegally buried land mines across the border in violation of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

The South Korean military raised the suspicions after detecting physical changes to the terrain on the western front near the MDL and has been in talks with the UNC to investigate potential North Korean mine-laying activities.

"We made our initial observation of the area (change in terrain) in the second half of last year," Hwang noted.

Forensic authorities are expected to release initial findings from their analysis of the collected evidence soon.

elly@yna.co.kr (END)

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(2nd LD) Soldiers' statements point to possible unexploded wooden-box land mine in DMZ blast

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注意：重写标题、导语；添加第8段细节；删减）金承妍

首尔，9月28日（韩联社）——据军方消息人士周一援引参与爆炸事件的士兵的初步陈述称，在上周非军事区（DMZ）爆炸现场发现了一枚未引爆的木箱地雷。

这些声明是在军方努力查明上周一发生在朝韩非军事区内、军事分界线以南的爆炸事件的确切原因之际获得的。爆炸造成两名韩国士兵重伤，另有一名士兵轻伤。

这起事件涉及两起独立的爆炸，怀疑是由朝鲜地雷引发的。

据熟悉调查情况的消息人士称，由于军事调查组在周日的行动中未能抵达爆炸现场，因此现在核实有关额外地雷的说法（包括该地雷是否属于朝鲜军队）还为时过早。

随着现场调查的继续，回收未爆炸的地雷对于收集证据和推进调查至关重要。

这张图片由联合参谋本部提供，截取自勘测录像。图片显示，2026年9月26日，在朝韩非军事区内，美军人员与联合国军司令部进行联合勘测，清理道路。此次勘测旨在对本周早些时候发生在朝韩边境以南的疑似地雷爆炸事件进行现场调查。（图片禁止出售）（韩联社）

周一，美国参谋长联席会议（JCS）表示，他们收到了来自地面部队的证词，称他们在爆炸地点附近目睹了一枚类似于朝鲜木箱地雷的地雷。

“我们收到的证词表明，（部队目睹的）情况类似于木箱地雷，”联合参谋本部地面作战处处长黄柱峰准将在例行新闻发布会上说。

木箱地雷是一种杀伤人员地雷，通常由朝鲜军队使用。它被封装在一个小型木箱内，难以被探雷器探测到，并且在暴雨期间很容易漂过边境。

2015 年 8 月，朝鲜埋设的三枚木箱地雷在非军事区韩国一侧爆炸，造成两名韩国士兵重伤。

黄说：“一些证词称，该物体外观类似于木箱地雷，似乎是用塑料制成的；而另一人作证说，据信它是另一种类型的地雷。”

“正因如此，我们无法具体说明类型，只有在现场核实后才能提供进一步的解释，”他说。

军方还认定，降雨不太可能冲走或损坏证据，因为爆炸发生后该地区降雨量不足 5 毫米。

韩国军方和负责边境地区的联合国军司令部（UNC）于周日对非军事区爆炸事件展开联合调查。

他们试图到达爆炸现场收集地雷碎片和其他证据材料，但在清理出一条靠近现场的道路后，由于日落，被迫结束了行动。

国家法医部门目前正在分析地雷碎片、从士兵防护服上以及手术过程中采集的爆炸物残留物。联合参谋部尚未收到法医鉴定结果。

“我们根据初步证词，仍然很难确定（确切的）地雷类型，”国防部长康信哲当天早些时候抵达办公室时告诉韩联社记者。

他说：“一旦我们通过现场调查核实了这些细节，我们将向公众解释一切。”

周一在国会与议员们会面后，康表示，如果发现平壤对非军事区爆炸事件负有责任，他将采取“适当和相应的”措施。

康明凯断然否认了政府试图淡化或掩盖该事件的批评。

“我想重申，绝对不存在任何故意拖延或掩盖的情况，”他说。

2026年9月28日，韩国国防部长姜信哲在首尔西部国会大厦与主要反对党国民力量党首张东赫议员会面时，聆听其发言。（韩联社）

一些军事专家认为，考虑到伤亡的严重程度以及怀疑朝鲜军队在该地区埋设地雷，爆炸更有可能是由朝鲜地雷引起的，而不是韩国标准的 M14 或 M16 反步兵地雷。

如果确认是朝鲜地雷，军方需要确定它们是被雨水冲刷掉的，还是人为埋设的。后者将构成对停战协定的违反。

爆炸发生在韩国军方和联合国军联合检查的行动中，目的是清理道路，以核实首尔的怀疑，即平壤违反了结束 1950-53 年朝鲜战争的停战协定，非法在边境埋设地雷。

韩国军方在发现西线靠近军事分界线的地形发生物理变化后，提出了怀疑，并一直在与联合国军进行谈判，以调查朝鲜可能进行的布雷活动。

黄指出：“我们去年下半年对该地区（地形变化）进行了初步观察。”

预计法医部门将很快公布对收集到的证据进行分析的初步结果。

elly@yna.co.kr（完）

（导语）韩国军方与联合国军司令部对非军事区爆炸现场进行联合调查；计划进行进一步调查：联合参谋本部

（导语）韩国军方与联合国军司令部在非军事区爆炸现场进行联合勘察，为后续调查做准备：联合参谋本部

参谋长联席会议主席视察陆军部队，随后将对疑似非军事区地雷爆炸事件展开现场调查。

总统官员承诺对非军事区爆炸事件展开迅速彻底的调查

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（第二次路障检查）士兵的陈述表明，非军事区爆炸中可能存在未爆炸的木箱地雷。